Hey, to all you mass monsters and beautiful people-> I have confirmed it. Whey Protien (multiple brands) can be had at decent prices in the undergrond market of Namdaemun, I bought 5 K's of prolab for 40.000 (price is $30 in the states). Aslo they sell L-glutamine, Aminos, and creatine. Check them out! Note, please check the expiry dates. They are usually printed on the case.

Is that at the Soong rae moon import market? Did you happen to see what Myoplex is going for there?

Hey, to all you mass monsters and beautiful people-> I have confirmed it. Whey Protien (multiple brands) can be had at decent prices in the undergrond market of Namdaemun, I bought 5 K's of prolab for 40.000 (price is $30 in the states). Aslo they sell L-glutamine, Aminos, and creatine. Check them out! Note, please check the expiry dates. They are usually printed on the case.

Is that at the Soong rae moon import market? Did you happen to see what Myoplex is going for there?

If you've got a contact on the Army base you'll be able to get supplements for dead cheap (i.e. under 20K). Otherwise, yeah, Namdaemun's your best shot.

The cheapest 42-pack of Myoplex that I can find is for 88K on a Korean site. My gym quotes 120K, and I read elsewhere that the Namdaemun guy used to charge around 100K, but that was 2 years ago. And I wish the protein bars weren't so friggin expensive.

On this note, anyone ever price out low-fat cottage cheese anywhere? Forgot to check at Hannam, last trip.

Last edited by chronicpride on Sun May 29, 2005 3:29 am; edited 1 time in total

I'm looking to get in shape, but in a different way from before. I want to start sprinting, or doing sprints. My sister does them. What benefits do sprints have compared to jogging?

I'm getting tired of jogging. It doesn't get my heart going, is hard on the hip joints and knees. I don't feel that 'runner's hight' either. Do you think sprints are a good way to keep in shape, or better than jogging?

Sprints will work fast-twitch muscle fibers more than jogging will.
Sounds like you might have some injuries, but if you are healthy might I suggest running instead of jogging? Running will get your heart rate going and increase endorphines. If you are carrying some extra weight you might feel it in your legs when you run, sprint, or jog. If that is the case, slimming down should help.
I think running is a much better way to get in shape than sprinting. Also, it seems to be better for mental toughness (you don't get to stop to recover the way you do with sprinting), but also as a sort of escape as well. Sprinting never really appealed to me because it didn't give me the same kind of chance to really confront myself and get to know myself better the way that a long hard run can.
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but stretching all major muscle groups in the legs after warming up and after running (or sprinting or jogging) is very important and should not be neglected. Take the time to do it properly; not only can it make running more enjoyable it can reduce your chances of injury.

Everybody's constitution is different. I found that about 4k jogging, followed by 2k sprinting at about 90% increased my endurance in the long run. I did this three times a week, followed by about four days of 6-8k regularly jogging.

If your joints can't handle jogging or running, you should take up golf.

Everybody's constitution is different. I found that about 4k jogging, followed by 2k sprinting at about 90% increased my endurance in the long run. I did this three times a week, followed by about four days of 6-8k regularly jogging.

If your joints can't handle jogging or running, you should take up golf.

If your joints can't handle jogging or running, you should take up golf.

Yeah, right. I was running 10 K's when my orthopedic surgeon told me not to run after a bus ever again. That was many miles of speed walking ago. Swimming is also a great exercise for those with compromised knees and joints.

And it can happen at any age. Dancing ballet on pointe did in my daughter's knees when she was 13. She was told also not to run.

Your kind of advice is exactly the worst thing to tell someone, as fitness becomes more, not less, important after a certain age. And swimming, proper weight training and yoga can help build quads adequate to protect delicate knees.

A total of 2k, if you figure 20x100m; not 2k at full throttle--that's like something out of a Bionic Man episode. That would be great if it were possible.

As for the state of one's joints and particular weak spots, like I said, it's different for everybody. Swimming is great for cardio and total fitness, but it's useless for isolating specific muscles and bulking them up. People jog/run/sprint for decades without any problem, even into their golden years. It's equal parts constitution/diet/exercise. The average person shouldn't have a problem with their joints unless they're doing something wrong or have otherwise been injured in that part of their body.

My left knee has taken some knocks over the years, but I got it checked out and it's still okay.

Yoga I found the same as tai chi; great for stretching, but a bit too mind-numbing; I like to have my headphones on.

Strengthening the quads helps, but you are right that it is best not to stress the knees. When I say protect vulnerable knees, I mean from everyday insults. When I am not working out, a simple set of stairs can cause pain in the knees, when I am, it's no problem at all.

Chrondomalacia patella
I located the following information regarding chrondomalacia patella on Brian Mackenzie's site (http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk). Young females due to the female body shape during the growth spurt have particular injury risks. The hips widen, placing the femur at a greater inward angle. During running or walking, this increased femur angle leads to greater inward rotation at the knee and foot. This rotation can result in an injury called chrondomalacia patella, which occurs when the knee-cap does not run smoothly over the knee joint and pain is caused at the front of the knee. Appropriate preventive training to avoid chrondomalacia patella would be to strengthen the vastus medialis muscle, the lower abdominals, obliques (side of stomach), hip abductor and hip external rotator muscles.

Yes, if you have excellent coaching/training at age 10-14, you may be fortunate to avoid the problem. Most of us don't. For a young woman who reaches six feet tall by the time she is 14 (my daughter) and is doing pointe training at the same time, well, the damage is permanent.

I am more interested in general fitness, as are most people, so isolating and developing specific muscles is not the goal. I do some weight training, somewhat for bone strength (another female concern). I also do some pilates and yoga. Swimming is just too inconvenient, with no pool on campus here. I used to be a lifeguard/ water safety instructor. Swimming is terrific exercise, but it creates a different body type than weight training does (although, these days, most swimmers do pretty intensive weight training, also).